Film-developing tank



G. WINSTON.

FILM DEVELOPING TANK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10,1919.

13 50,76 1 Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

mwwto'c Gilmer Winston.

Moms

G. WINSTON.

FILM DEVELOPING TANK. I

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1919.

1,350,76 1. Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 'SH'EETS-SHEET 2.

Suva-whet Gilmerwinston @W aw UNITED STATES GILMER WINSTON, 0F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

FILM-DEVELOPING TANK.

Application filed July 10,1919.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GILMER WINSTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Film-Developing Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to photographic developing apparatus and has for its object to provide an apparatus for developing film negatives of the type marketed as film pack. in other words, films cut into sheets of pre-determined sizes and marketed in the flat in packages.

With these and other objects in view the invention provides certain novel combina tions and arrangements of parts and functions as will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the film holder open in position to be loaded;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the film holder;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the film holder taken at right angles to and showing the section line with the film holder shown therein of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a broken perspective view of the tank containing the developing bath;

Fig. 5 is a view in end elevation of one of the shelves or slips into which the films are inserted and held in the film holder for developing;

Fig. 6 is a view at side elevation with part broken away of a modified form ofapparatus.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The improved developing apparatus which forms the subject matter of this application comprises a film holder of any approved form or physical appearance made up of a plurality of shelves or slips in which the cut films are retained while being immersed and being acted upon by the devel oping bath. In the specific embodiment of the invention as shown in the drawings, the several shelves 10 are arranged one above the other as indicated more particularly at Figs. 1 and 2, forming a body 11. of such Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

Serial No. 809,856.

combined and associated shelves. The shelves of themselves by reason of the upturned flanges 12, as shown more particularly at Fig. 5, may when connected one to another form the body, or the said several shelves may be inserted in a casing or housing the exact construction forming no limitation upon the present invention. In any event the shelves are preferably provided at the end into which the films are initially inserted (which for convenience will be called the front end) with straight or flat or plain edges as indicated at 13. For the purpose of retaining the film in such form that air bubbles will not form under the developing film to the detriment of the development, it is desirable that the film be held in a curved position with its convex side downwardly so that any bubbles forming under the films will by reason of such convexity move from under the film and be discharged. For this reason the several shelves 10 are curved rearwardly from the front edge as indicated at 14, the radius of curvature decreasing from the front to the rear. The several shelves 10 also decrease in width from the front to the rear so that film sheets inserted between the several shelves 10 are not only curved to correspond and accommodate themselves to the curvature of the shelves but are wedged into the constricted area of the shelves to be thereby held against displacement during further operation.

The combined pack of shelves indicated at 11 either forming their own exterior surface, or within a housing are intended to be closed by any form of light-tight closure or light trap so that the device may be used for day-light developing. As it is necessary, as will hereinafter be explained, to have access to both ends of the shelf pack, light traps in the form of hinged closures are provided at each end of surh pack, that at the front end being indicated at 15 and that at the rear being indicated at l6. As shown at Fig. 1 these closures l5 and 16 are preferably, though not necessarily, designed and proportioned, when opened, to serve as a base or support for the shelf pack for convenience in operation holding the shelf pack above the table or other object upon which the device is being used. While such construction is desirable from a point of view of convenience, it forms no part of the essential invention involved herein, such invention covering the use of light-excluding closures secured or connected with the shelf pack in any form. The term light-excluding or similar term used herein is intended to indicate a device while excluding light to prevent actinic action of the light upon the films will permit the introduction of the developing bath or other fiuid and the eX- pulsion of air in the use of the device. To this end means is provided for admitting the fluid and expelling the air, one form being shown in the closure 15, consisting of a corrugated sheet 17 covering an opening in the cover member 15 somewhat smaller than the area of such sheet 17. A second corrugated sheet 18 is set over the sheet 17 with its corrugations disposed perpendicularly to the corrugations of the sheet 17, being also 01 sullicient area to nearly fill the opening in the cover member 15 leaving a space 19 at the ends of such sheet out of register with the space 20 at the ends of the corrugated sheet 17 so that the developing or other fiuid may enter the device through the open ings l9 .and finding its way through the corrugations of the sheet 18, will pass through the opening 20 about the sheet 17 and thus enter the shelf pack. Also for the purpose of excluding light the shelf pack provides means for mounting the closure 15 consisting of a plate 21 having a fiange 22 upon which the cover memberis hinged as at 23 with a latch 2 1 provided for maintaining the cover member separably closed. An inner fiange 25 is also provided about the cover member 15 cooperating with the flange 22 for th exclusion of light.

A closure of the kind just described may be applied to each end of the device when found desirable, but at the opposite end is disclosed a somewhat different type oi. light trap. fhe shelf pack is provided with a plate .2 6 corresponding to the plate 21 with a flange 27 corresponding to the flange to which the cover member 16 is hinged as at 28 with a latch 29 for securing such cover in closed condition. The cover member 16 is provided with an opening 80 of any approved shape and dii'nension, here shown as elongated and with an inner plate 31 and an outer plate 32 covering such opening each o'l said plates having flanges turned down into engagement with the closure-l6 and pro vided with cut out or cut away corners 33 forming openings communicating through the opening 30 lor the ingress and egress of fluid, air or the like. The closure at this end of the shelf pack is also provided with an inturned flange 34 corresponding to the flange 25 for light-excluding purposes.

.For convenience in operation the shelves 10 are provided at their front ends with out out portlons indicated at 35 and at their rear ends with cut out portions indicated at 36. Also for convenience in loading, the shelves are made wider or bell-shape at their forward ends to serve in the initial introduction of the film sheets. Instead oi having a device provided with a shelf pack as herei'nbet'ore described separate holding means may be provided for various sizes of film sheets, and a device as shown at Fig. 6 may be employed for receiving such film holders having a body portion 38 which is merely a device without interior construction having light-excluding closures. or traps 15 or 16 corresponding to the closures 15 and 16 hereinbe'lore described. As noted in regard to the closures 15 and 16 it is immaterial whether the closures at the opposite ends of the receptacle 38 are identical or whether they are difi erent in construction as described in regard to the closures 15 and 16. The requisite in regard to the closures is simply the exclusion oi? the actinic rays and provided means for ingress and egress of fluid and air. In any event, the device is used in conjunction with a tank 39 in which the developing solution is provided, the device containing the films to be developed being immersed in the tank for the purpose of being acted upon by the developing bath..

In operation a light-excluding bag of the usual and ordinary type is employed being too well known to require illustration or description. It is well known that film packs of commerce are provided, each film with a long paper strip securely attached thereto which in the present customary manner of operation serves to draw the film from exposure position to storage position and is then torn oil and discarded or retained for record purposes, if desired. In operating the camera wherein the films are to be developed in the present device the paper strips are not severed from the films alter the films have been removed from exposure position but are left attached to the films. litter the pack of films has been exposed and is to be developed the said pack with its extending paper slips is inserted in the light-proof bag together with the film container arranged as shown at Fig. 1. Instead, however, of inserting the film pack and the film device separately into the bag it is found desirable in many instances to insert the paper strips attached to the films into the intervals between the shelves 10 passing from front to back and extending outwardly in the rear of the shelves. This can be done in the day-light as the paper strips themselves have no relation whatever to the films, otherwise than being attached to such films still contained in the light-proof pack. In any event whether the paper strips are inserted before being inserted in the bag or afterward, the paper strips are first inserted into the intervals between the shelves and at the back of the shelves the ends of the paper strips are caught and the attached films are drawn into the interval between two of the shelves. After the film has been drawn into the device by this movement and is wedged into position by reason of the narrowing chamber the paper strip is severed, the film being allowed to remain in its position. \Vhen each of the films has been drawn into its required recess by the stress exerted upon the paper strip and all the paper strips have been severed, the container is closed by closing the light-excluding covers upon their hinges until they latch, securely closing against light but not against the introduction of fluid. The container so closed against light is drawn from the lightproof bag and is immersed in the tank 39 or in any receptacle found convenient, the specific tank forming no essential part of the present invention. If the container, as shown at Fig. 6 is employed, the film container of whatever type is loaded with films within the light-proof bag and still in the bag is inserted into the housing 38, the light-traps l5 and 16 closed and the device immersed in the developing bath as hereinbefore described. The formation of air exits as well as means for liquid ingress permits the entire film holder to be filled with the developing liquid. When the films have remained in the developing bath for suflicient length of time to insure proper development the film holder is lifted out of the bath, the excess developing fluid permitted to drain'out through the openings and the entire device inserted in a rinsing bath or such further or other fluids or liquids as may be found necessary to the proper developing and fixing of the film. After such developing and rinsing has been completed the film may even be dried in the co'ntainer by opening the opposite closures and permitting the passage of air there through, or as is found to be more desirable the films may be removed and dried in the usual manner.

I claim:

1. A developing apparatus comprising a pack composed. of a plurality of spaced shelves one exposed edge of each shelf being straight and its opposite edge being curved,

and light-excluding liquid-admitting means inclosing the film pack for further operation.

2. A film, developing apparatus comprising a pack consisting of a plurality of spaced shelves closed upon two opposite sides and opened upon the two other opposite sides, one of the open sides of each shelf being straight and the other curved, and means to close the open ends of the shelf pack against light and permit the introduction of fluid thereto.

3. A film developing apparatus comprising a pack of shelves having two opposite edges closed and two opposite edges open, said shelves being provided with one open edge straight and curved from such straight edge with decreasing radius to the opposite ends, and means to close the open ends of the shelf pack against light and to admit fluid.

4. A film developing apparatus comprising a shelf pack composed of a plurality of spaced shelves connected at two opposite edges and open at the other two opposite edges, said shelves each being tapered from one open edge to its opposite open edge, and means to close the open ends of the shelf pack against the introduction of light while admitting liquid.

5. In a film developing apparatus a shelf pack comprising a plurality of spaced shelves connected along two opposite edges to exclude light and open at the twoother opposite edges, each of said shelves tapering from one open edge to the other and at the longer open edge being provided with an enlargement to serve as a guide and means to close the open edges of the film pack against the introduction of light while permitting the ingress and egress of liquid.

6. In a film developing apparatus a shelf pack comprising a plurality of spaced shelves connected along two opposite edges to exclude the light, each of said shelves tapering from one to the opposite edge and also curved from the wider straight edge to the opposite edge with decreasing radius and means to close the opposite open ends against the introduction of light while permitting ingress and egress of fluid.

7. A film developing apparatus comprising a shelf pack composed of a plurality of spaced shelves, means closing the shelf ack against light upon two of its opposite sides, means facilitating introducing films into the intervals between the shelves and to secure the films in such intervals, and means to close the open ends of the film pack against light and permit the ingress and egress of fluid.

8. In a film developing apparatus a shelf pack comprising a plurality of spaced shelves closed against light on two opposite sides and open to the light on the two other opposite sides and closures for the shelf pack comprising hinged cover members having openings therethrough closed by spaced members adapted to exclude the light and to permit the ingress and egress of fluid.

9. A film developing apparatus comprising a shelf pack composed of a plurality of spaced shelves connected along two opposite sides to exclude the light and closures for the shelf pack comprising hinged cover members having openings therethrough and corrugated members covering the openings around said corrugated members, being disposed and egress of fluid.

pack, a closure for the shelf pack, and means to exclude light While permitting the ingress v 15 In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Memphls, Tennessee this,

3rd day of July, A. D. nineteen hundred and nineteen.

GILMER WINSTON. [11. s.]

Witnesses:

J OE R. RAWLINGS, JOHN W. FARLEY. 

